Shul-pa-e ("youthful radiance") is an astral and fertility god in Sumerian mythology. He is identified as the personification of the planet Jupiter and, in one list, is the consort of the mother goddess Ninhursag.

The word 'opfer' generally refers to the sacrifice that occurs - symbolic or otherwise - during certain rituals. There are, generally, two types of opfer: (1) associated with rites to open a nexion (or 'Star Gate'), between Aeons - when such an opfer(s) is considered necessary in terms of the 'energy' required;(2) those associated with traditional beliefs regarding the 'working of the cosmos'.

('Opfers' associated with death rituals form a third type.)

The second type, according to tradition, was chosen once every 17 years and this sacrifice was regarded as necessary to retain 'the cosmic balance' - in modern terms, keep a nexion open (and thus preserve the associated higher civilization etc). The chosen one was made an honourary Priest (this type of opfer was always male) and there was a joining between him and one or more women, as Priestesses. This joining was a simple type of 'hierosgamos', and the offspring of the union(s) were given great honour. At the ceremony itself, the head of the opfer was severed and displayed - usually for a night and a day (although this period may have been longer in the very distant past). The Rite was conducted outdoors in a 'sacred' place - often a circle of stones or hill top.

The chosen one was able, because of the sacrifice, to partake of an acausal existence - becoming thus an Immortal. Thus 'willing sacrifice' was possible, although it is easy to imagine that in later times, the opfer was not so willing.

Traditionally, this type goes back to Albion, and while originally the ritual was probably a community affair, it became more secretive. What survives to the present day (The Ceremony of Recalling with 'opfer' ending) probably reflects the essence of this earlier tradition rather than the detail (the words, chants etc). This essence may be apprehended in the role of the Mistress of Earth - representative of Baphomet, the Dark Goddess. It was to Baphomet that the sacrifice was made - hence a male opfer. Indeed, the whole ceremony (of Recalling) can be seen as a celebration of the dark goddess - the Earth Mistress/goddess in her darker/violent/sinister aspect. The severed head was associated with the worship of Baphoment - the cult deriving from Albion - hence the traditional representation of Baphomet.

The identification of Baphomet as the Bride of Lucifer/Satan probably dates from around the 10th or 11th century, as does the use of the name 'Satan'/Satanas as the Earth-bound representative of the Dark Gods.

It is important to remember that in earlier times (eg. in Albion during the Hyperborean aeon) there was no clear and/or moral distinction between the 'light' and the 'sinister': the two were seen as different aspects of the same thing. Thus, what we know as the Mistress of Earth (the 'goddess') was both what we now call Baphomet (the dark aspect) and Gaia (the Earth Mother). Likewise with the male aspect - Satan and Lucifer - or Dionysus/Kabeiroi and Apollo. We now understand all such symbols as unconscious/conscious projections onto 'reality' (where 'reality' = the region of causal/acausal mergence) - as 'gates'/nexions to the acausal itself, with the seven spheres of the Tree of Wyrd being a 'map' of these gates understandable by 'non-Adept' consciousness. Thus, the sphere of Mercury re-presents Lucifer/Satan - Mercury, Mars and Sun being "male" spheres, and moon, Venus, Jupiter the "female" ones (Saturn beyond such opposites - Chaos itself).

The cult of Baphomet was the worship of the dark aspect of the "female" energies - where in this context, worship means a striving toward understanding/conscious integration. Traces of the worship of the 'light' aspect survive in the Septenary tradition in the name "Aktlal Maka" and the natural form of the Nine Angles rite. The darker aspect survives, in essence, in the Ceremony of Recalling and the traditions associated with the Mistress of Earth and Baphomet. As to the original name of the goddess in both her aspects, there is a tradition which gives 'Darkat' (early form of Lilith) as the name used before Baphomet became the common usage. However, 'Azanigin' has also been suggested - as has 'Aktlal Maka' for the 'light'/Gaia aspect, although both these are merely 20th century suggestions, not based on any oral tradition. Some aspects of the cult of the (dark) goddess are said to have survived into Greek times in the form of the 'mystery cults' (qv Kabeiroi - and also Eleusis for the 'light' aspect), this being an 'indirect survival', the 'modern' Septenary tradition being a direct one, from Albion.

The use of the name 'Baphomet' probably derives from the 10th or 11th century although the traditional pictorial representation of Baphomet is undoubtedly much older. If there was an oral tradition connected with the origin of the name Baphomet, it has been lost.

Thus, there are no indications as to the 'original' names of the 'light' and 'sinister' elements on the 'male' side - known to us as 'Lucifer' and 'Satan'. These latter names probably also derive from around the 10th or 11th century - although 'Karu Samsu' (or something very similar) has been suggested for the 'Lucifer' aspect and 'Sapanur' as the 'sinister' aspect.

The rites associated with the first type of opfer - such as 'The Sinister Calling' - cannot be either dated with certainty or seen to be derived from an earlier tradition. In all probability, they derive from the 12th or 13th century, although it is quite possible that earlier versions/forms existed. Some

have even considered The Sinister Calling as a later version of the Ceremony of Recalling. Again, if there was an oral tradition, it has been lost - all that remains are the rituals themselves.

The 'Black Mass' itself (and indeed most of the ceremonial rituals in The Black Book of Satan) probably originated around the same time as the Sinister Calling. The original Mass was said in Latin, although by the middle of the 20th century a translated version had found its way into the Black Book - of necessity, although some Latin chants remained.

NOTES: The significance of the 17 year cycle is unclear. In the past few decades, some theories have been advanced, but they are unconvincing.

Aktlal Maka is a chant sometimes used in the natural Nine Angles Rite by the Priestess if the glade has a spring of water. It means 'the flowing waters of Earth' and is chanted in homage to Gaia since natural springs are regarded as her children.

The 'mysteries of the Kabeiroi' (sometimes spelt Cabiri) is one of the esoteric traditions associated with the Hellenic Aeon. In its original form, 'the mysteries' concerned certain deities often represented in the form of griffins and connected with the sea as well as Demeter - the 'mother Earth' or Gaia. According to esoteric tradition, the mysteries concerned the Dark Gods - in various 'shapechanging' forms - and related how Demeter gave the first Initiates of this tradition a crystal (later venerated at a shrine near Thebes where a sacred grove to Demeter existed) as well as showing how an individual, through various Rites which involved Gaia, women, sacred marriage and so on, could be transformed to a different realm of consciousness. This transformation, as in other Greek Mystery Cults, was achieved mainly through personal involvement in ritual/ceremonial action often of a mythological kind.

Later, this tradition became divided - Eleusis representing the 'Apollonian' element, the Kabeiroi the 'Dionysian' or darker aspects, for it is said that all Initiates of the Cabiri had to have committed a crime greater than common ones.

The mysteries of the Kabeiroi were often celebrated in mountain shrines (certain combinations of rock and underground water being regarded as sacred - that is, capable by their magickal power of transforming the consciousness of individuals (cf. various sacred sites of the Yezidi who upheld a more garbled version of Dark Gods tradition) and to reach these shrines was considered part of the process of Initiation.

Greeks called the Kabeiroi the 'great gods'.

- Order of Nine Angles - http://www.nasz-dom.net/

The Sebitti are a group of minor war gods in Babylonian and Akkadian tradition. They are the children of the god Anu and follow the god Erra into battle. They are, in differing traditions, of good and evil influence.

"CHICOMECOATL "WAS THE AZTEC GODDESS OF MAIZE, FOOD, AND FERTILITY. SHE IS A NOURISHING DEITY WHO SUPPLIES HER PEOPLE WITH SUSTENANCE. THE WORD "COATL" MEANS SERPENT, AND HER NAME, WHICH MEANS "SEVEN SNAKES", REFLECTS HER SERPENTINE NATURE. HENCE, SHE WAS SOMETIMES DEPICTED WITH SEVEN HEADS. SHE WAS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE "SEVEN EARS OF CORN", AND AS THE "GODDESS OF THE TENDER EARS OF MAIZE. "

WHEN THE CORN WAS RIPE THE AZTECS PLUCKED THE FINEST EARS FOR OFFERINGS TO THE DEITIES, AND AT THE HARVEST, THE CORN WAS HEAPED UP IN THE FIELD AND WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE MOVED UNTIL THE CORN ITSELF GAVE SOME SIGNAL THAT IT WAS READY. THE FALLING OF AN EAR FROM THE HEAP, OR THE SPRINGING UP OF A FRESH BLADE, WAS INTERPRETED AS THE SIGN WAITED FOR.

"CHICOMECOATL "IS DEPICTED WITH HER BODY AND FACE PAINTED RED, WEARING A RECTANGULAR HEADDRESS OR PLEATED FAN OF RED PAPER, AND OFTEN HOLDING A DOUBLE EAR OF CORN IN EACH HAND. VENERATED AT HARVEST TIME, HER FESTIVAL WAS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER AT WHICH TIME THE AZTECS HELD A SOLEMN FESTIVAL AT WHICH TIME A YOUNG GIRL REPRESENTING GODDESS WAS SACRIFICED TO ENSURE "CHICOMECOATL'S "BLESSINGS.

are commonly called death deities in comparative religions texts. The term colloquially refers to deities that either collect or rule over the dead, rather than those deities who determine the time of death. However, all these types will be included in this article. Many cultures have incorporated a god of death into their mythology or religion. As death, along with birth, is among the major parts of human life, these deities may often be one of the most important deities of a religion. In some religions with a single powerful deity as the source of worship, the death deity is an antagonistic deity against which the primary deity struggles. The related term death worship has most often been used as a derogatory term to accuse certain groups of morally-abhorrent practices which set no value on human life, or which seem to glorify death as something positive in itself.

Titans

Gaea: Gaea is the earth goddess. With Uranus she bore the rest of the Titans. She is regarded as all-producing and all-nourishing, and one of the deities of presiding over marriage.

Mnemosyne: The goddess of Memory, Mnemosyne, mated with Zeus to produce the 9 Muses.

Phoebe: By her brother Coeus she is the mother of Asteria and Leto. Through Leto, she is the grandmother of Apollo and Artemis.

Rhea: Rhea was the wife of the Titan Cronus, who made it a practice to swallow their children. When Zeus was about to be born, she bore him in secret and gave Cronus a stone wrapped as an infant to swallow.

Themis: Themis is the goddess of the order of things established by law, custom and ethics. By Zeus' command, she convenes the assembly of the gods, and she is invoked when mortals assemble. She is the mother of the Horae (seasons), the Hesperides and Prometheus.

Theia: The wife of her brother Hyperion, by him Theia gave birth to Helios (sun), Eos (dawn), and Selene (moon). She is the goddess from whom light emanates and considered especially beautiful.

Tethys: Tethys the wife of Oceanus and gave birth to around 3,000 river-gods and the Oceanides. Hera was raised by Tethys until she was ready to marry Zeus.

Olympians

Athena: Athena is the Greek virgin goddess of reason in war and peace, intelligent activity, arts and literature, and useful arts. She sprang full grown from Zeus' head rather than being born by a woman. She is Zeus' favorite and is allowed to use his weapons including his thunderbolt. Sacred to her are the olive, serpent, owl, lance, and crow. She invented the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.

Artemis: Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, virginity, the moon, and the natural environment. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. Even though she is a virgin goddess, she also presides over childbirth. Sacred to her are the laurel, fir tree, fish, stag, boar, bear, dog, goat, bee and other animals.

Aphrodite: Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was born from the foam of the sea. She is married to Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithy to the gods. Sacred to her are the myrtle, rose, apple, poppy, sparrow, dove, swan, swallow, tortoise, ram, the planet Venus, and the month of April. Eros was produced from a liaison with Zeus. Her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares.

Demeter: Demeter is the goddess of the earth, of agriculture, and of fertility in general. Sacred to her are livestock and agricultural products, poppy, narcissus and the crane. She is the mother of Persephone by Zeus. During the months Persephone lives with Hades, Demeter withdraws her gifts from the world, creating winter. Upon Persephone's return, spring comes into bloom.

Hestia: Hestia is the virgin goddess of the hearth and of domestic life, and the inventor of domestic architecture. Of all the Olympians, she is the mildest, most upright and most charitable.

Hera: Hera is the supreme goddess of the Greeks and goddess of marriage and childbirth, and wife to Zeus. Her children are Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus and Eris. Sacred to her are the peacock, pomegranate, lily and cuckoo. She is extremely jealous of Zeus' amorous adventures and punishes his mortal lovers.

Other Goddesses

Arete: Arete is the Greek goddess of justice and teacher of Heracles.

Alecto: Alecto is one of the three Furies or Erinyes and sometimes known as a Greek goddess of war and death.

Cotys: Coyts the goddess of sexuality was revered in Thrace. There here servants, the baptai ("baptized ones"), celebrated secret festivals in her honor.

Cer: The Greek goddess of violent death, Cer (or Ker) is the daughter of Nyx ("night") and sister of the Moriae ("fates"). This name was also used of the malevolent ghost of any dead person.

Charities: Charities are personifications of aspects of grace and beauty. They are called Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer). While the Muses inspire artists, the Charities apply the artists' works to the embellishment of life.

Dryads: Dryads (Hamadryads) are elemental forces incarnated in a bark-like body. They were usually female and mortal, dying when the tree died. A dryad will punish mortals for thoughtlessly breaking her branches or harming her.

Erinyes: Erinyes (Eumenides) names are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. They are solemn maidens dressed as huntresses, wear bands of serpents around their heads, and carry torches. They pursue wrongdoers and torment them in ways that make the criminals wish they were dead. Crimes that especially draw their attention are disobedience toward parents, ill-treatment of the elderly, murder, violation of the law of hospitality, and improper conduct toward suppliants.

Eris: Eris is the goddess of discord and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. She is obsessed with bloodshed, havoc, and suffering. She calls forth war and her brother Ares carries out the action.

Eos: Eos is the goddess of dawn, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of Helios and Selene. She is the mother of the evening star Eosphorus (Hesperus), other stars, and the winds Boreas, Zephyrus and Notus. When she was caught in a tryst with Ares, Aphrodite cursed her with an insatiable desire for handsome young men. She most often appears winged or in a chariot drawn by four horses, one of them being Pegasus.

Horae: Horae are the goddesses of the seasons and the orderly procession of things in general. They are also the collective personification of justice. Hesoid, who saw them as givers of the law, justice and peace gave them the names Eunomia (Discipline), Dice (Justice) and Eirene (Peace). At Athens two of the Horae, were called Thallo and Carpo, and to the Athenians, represented the budding and maturity of growing things. As a result, Thallo became the protectress of youth.

Hecate: Hecate brings good luck to sailors and hunters or can withhold these blessings if undeserved, so fear became a motivating factor in her worship. When Persephone was found with Hades, Hecate remained with her as attendant and companion and as a result has a share in the ruling over the souls in the underworld. Because of her unearthly aspect she is regarded as a kind of queen of witches.

Iris: The winged, rainbow goddess Iris is Hera's messenger. When she is not delivering messages she is asleep under Hera's bed. She is one of the few who can journey at will to the underworld where she fetches water for solemn oaths.

Irene: Irene is the Greek goddess of peace and is worshipped with bloodless sacrifices at Athens. Some legends say she is one of the Horae.

Iaso: Iaso is a Greek goddess of healing and the sister of Hygia.

Leto: Leto is the mother of Apollo and Artemis and is mostly worshipped in conjunction with her children.

Muses: The nine Muses are the goddesses of arts and sciences and inspire those who excel in these pursuits. They are the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Their names are: Clio (History), Urania (Astronomy), Melpomene (Tragedy), Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Calliope (Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods), and Euterpe (Lyric Poetry). Apollo is the leader of the Muses.

Moirae: Moirae are the Fates, the personification of the destiny of humans. The three Moirae are Clotho, Atropos, and Lachesis. Clotho spins the thread at the beginning of one's life, Atropos weaves the thread into the fabric of one's actions, and Lachesis snips the thread at the conclusion of one's life. Gods as well as mortals have to submit to the will of the Moirae.

Meliae: In one of the Greek creation myths, Mother Gaea had her son Uranus castrated. Drops of his blood fell on her and from those spots, Gaea conceived tree spirits called Maelia. As the world's original women, they were the mothers of humankind.

Nike: Nike, the winged goddess of victory, is the daughter of the fearsome river goddess Styx and the sister of Zelos ("zeal"). She was honored throughtout Greece, especially at Athens.

Nemesis: Nemesis is the personification of divine vengeance. Happiness and unhappiness are measured out by her, determining that happiness was not too frequent or excessive. If so, she brings about losses and suffering. She is one of the assistants of Zeus.

Pleiades: Pleiades are the daughters of Atlas by Pleione and are called Electra, Maia, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaena, Sterope, and Merope. They and their mother were pursued by the giant Orion until the gods intervened and transformed them into a constellation.

Persephone: Persephone is the daughter of the Olympian Demeter, and became the goddess of death and the underworld when Hades abducted her. The mint and pomegranate issacred to her. Persephone raised Aphrodite's child Adonis.

Styx: The goddess of the River Styx that wound beneath the earth in the land of the dead is called is also called Styx "the hated one," who prevented the living from crossing into the realm of Persephone without first undergoing death's torments.

Selene: Selene, also called Mene, is the goddess of the moon. She is the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, and the sister of Eos (dawn) and Helios (sun).

USHAS is the Hindu Goddess of the dawn. Each morning, this beautiful maiden appears, riding in a chariot pulled by cows. The sun, struck by her beauty, chases her across the sky. As she passes, Ushas drives off the dark and creatures of the night. She does this every morning, tirelessly bringing light and life to mankind.

RIJAS MATE (pronounced REE-yass MAH-teh) is the Latvian Goddess of threshing, the process that separates the wheat from the chaff after the harvest. She is the Latvian version of the Lithuanian Gabjauja, Goddess of corn and other grains. Also seen as RIGAS MATE, her name means Mother of the Threshing House--she is one of the many Latvian mother Goddesses or Mates.

Mahuika is a Maori fire deity. Generally, Mahuika is female. In some versions, she is the younger sister of Hine-nui-te-po, goddess of death. It was from her that Maui (in some versions he is her grandson) obtained the secret of making fire. She married Auahi-Turoa and together they had five children, named for the five fingers on the human hand, called collectively Nga Manawa. The symbolism of this connection between fingers and fire is revealed in the stories where Maui obtains fire from Mahuika by tricking her into giving him her fingernails, one by one. She is also said to have played a role in the formation of Rangitoto island, asking Mataoho, god of earthquakes and eruptions to destroy a couple that had cursed her. In some parts of New Zealand, Mahuika is a male deity. This is also the case in some parts of tropical Polynesia; for instance, in the Tuamotu archipelago and the Marquesas, Mahu-ika is the fire god who lives in the underworld in addition to being the grandfather of Maui. Maui wrestled him in order to win the secret of making fire. In other parts of Polynesia, similar deities are known as Mafui'e, Mafuike, Mahui'e or Mahuike.

BRANWEN (pronounced BRAN-oo-wen) is the Welsh Goddess of love and beauty. She is the daughter of Llyr, God of the sea, and Penarddun, also a Goddess of beauty, and sister of Bran, the King of Wales. Bran had promised his sister to Matholwch, the King of Ireland, as his wife, but before they could be wed, Bran and Branwen's half-brother Efnisien, angered that he had not been consulted, went on a rampage and mutilated the horses that Matholwch had brought with him. Bran offered Matholwch various gifts, but there was only one that would appease his anger. Bran was in possession of a magical cauldron that had been given to him by the Goddess Cymidei Cymeinfoll, a cauldron that would bring back to life any warrior who was killed in battle. Bran reluctantly gave Matholwch the cauldron, and he took it and Branwen and returned to Ireland.

The first year of her marriage was happy for Branwen, and she gave birth to a son, Gwern. However, things went downhill from there, and Branwen became more a slave than a queen. She taught a starling to speak and sent it across the sea to Bran. Bran immediately assembled an army and set sail for Ireland, taking Efnisien along. Matholwch tried to settle the disagreement with Bran amicably, but hot-tempered Efnisien broke the peace by casting the young Gwern into a fire. War erupted, and the Irish had the upper hand, because they had the cauldron that would resuscitate their warriors. Efnisien redeemed himself by throwing himself into the cauldron and breaking it, turning the tide for the Welsh. By the end of the war, all of the Irish except for five pregnant women had been killed. Of the Welsh, only Branwen and seven men remained. Bran had been fatally wounded, and he instructed his men to cut off his head, which stayed alive, and take it back to Wales. When Branwen and the men landed at Aber Alaw in Wales, she lamented over the destruction that had taken place because of her marriage, and she died of a broken heart.

Branwen's grave, Bedd Branwen, can still be seen, marked with a standing stone. Excavations found that had indeed been burials there in the early Bronze Age. Branwen's name, which means "blessed raven," is also seen as BRANGWAINE.

Erlik was the Chief God of the Underworld. In the Orkhon-Yenisei Inscriptions, Erlik is called Erglik. Erlik is described as an old man with an athletic built. His eyes and eyebrows are jet-black and his parted beard reaches his knees. His moustache is like tusks that curl behind his ears. His horns are like tree-roots and his hair curled. Erlik was connected with the worst disasters, epidemics and illnesses of people and cattle. He caused these illnesses to compel man to sacrifice to him. Men feared Erlik, especially when ill and were afraid to use his name, calling him Kara-Name (something black) instead. The sons of Erlik helped him rule the Underworld, where there were lakes, rivers and seas. Erlik also had several daughters whose number varied between two and nine. They were described as idle, sexually promiscuous and had a desire to lure Kams to their beds, as they descended into the Underworld for ceremonies. They stole the sacrifices Kams made to Erlik, with whom they were closely associated. Ancient legends state that Erlik taught ritual to the first Black Kam (Kara Kam). Ceremonies in the subterranean world were performed by black Kams, whilst white Kams (Ak Kam) never ventured there. Though Erlik was the supreme God of the Underworld, he rarely caused evil. He did not regulate the death of mortals and did not take away their Kut. He only accepted their material bodies after their demise. Kut returned to the Sky, after the body was cremated. Malicious spirits (Kermeses) dwelled in the Underworld and sometimes surfaced at sunset to cause harm. Sacrifices to Erlik were conducted at night, by slaughtering domestic animals with some defect (a broken horn, lameness, etc), as it was believed that the invisible Underworld contrasted with the visible one, where humans dwelt.

With the dark season of winter, many of us are reminded of death...which doesn't necessarily mean the actual loss of life. Death can also be symbolic of the shedding of old, the destructive influences which are not longer necessary. This time of cold, darkness, and changes connects us to Baba Yaga.

Baba Yaga is actually one of my favorites, and I have been waiting patiently for the opportunity to write about Her. She is a Slavic Goddess, and She is the Old Crone who guards the Waters of Life and Death. "Baba "means "old woman" and "Yaga "means hag. She is the mentor of old age and of the life cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. She sings as she sprinkles corpses with the Water of Life to let them be reborn.

There are many folk tales and fairy tales which have been written about Her. In some of these tales, we find Her as a kindly old woman, but in most She appears as a wicked, old hag with an appetite for children. Legend has it that She has a hut in the deepest and darkest section of the forest. They say it moves on chicken legs which move with the changes in the seasons. The hut is also surrounded by human bones.They also say that She rides in a mortar which She rows with a pestle.

Yes, Baba Yaga can appear pretty scary, but don't all the dark goddesses seem that way until we get to know them, for as terrifying as it may be to face Her, She is here to force us to examine our soul and to be forever transformed. Whenever we experience the darkness, She forces us to see our true and darkest selves and then grants us the deep wisdom that we have attained by accepting the dark shadows within ourselves.

SHITALA is the Hindu Goddess of smallpox, both the disease and the cure. When Shitala first arose from a sacrificial fire, Brahma told her that humans would always worship her, as long as she carried the seeds of a particular lentil. Along with her companion, Jvarasura, the demon of fever, she traveled to visit the other Gods. Somewhere along the way, her lentils turned into smallpox germs, and anyone who they visited came down with a fever and smallpox. The Gods asked Shitala for mercy, and asked her to take her load of germs and go to the earth. She agreed, and she and Jvarasura went down to the earth. Their first stop was to the court of King Birat, who worshipped Shiva. King Birat would not give Shitala supremacy over Shiva, so she threatened to infect his people. He was not swayed, and Shitala called down 75 different kinds of pox on his people. The disease spread far and wide, and there were many deaths. Finally, King Birat relented, and Shitala healed him and his people.

Shitala rides on a donkey, and she has four arms. In her hands she carries a silver broom, a fan, a small bowl, and a pot of water. She uses these items to rid a house of disease-she sweeps up the germs with her broom, uses the fan to collect them, and dumps them into the bowl. She then sprinkles water from the pot (which is water from the river Ganges) to purify the house. Shitala's name means "the cooling one", and is also seen as SHITALA MATA, SHEETLA MATA, SHITALA DEVI, and SHEETALA DEVI.

GESHTINANNA is the Sumerian Goddess of autumn vines. She is the daughter of Enki and Ninsun, and the sister of Dumuzi, husband of Inanna. When Inanna returned from the underworld and chose Dumuzi to take her place, Geshtinanna's mourning was so pitiful that Inanna took her to see Dumuzi. She pleaded that she be allowed to take her brother's place for half of the year. Inanna allowed this, and decided that Geshtinanna would spend the fall and winter months in the underworld and Dumuzi would be there for the spring and summer. Geshtinanna's name means "the heavenly grape-vine" and is also seen as GESTINANNA, NGESHTIN-ANA, and JECTIN-ANA.

Wepwawet (hieroglyphic rendered Upuaut, Wep-wawet, Wepawet, and Ophois) was originally a war deity, whose cult centre was Asyut in Upper Egypt (Lycopolis in the Greco-Roman period). His name means, opener of the ways. Some interpret that Wepwawet was seen as a scout, going out to clear routes for the army to proceed forward. One inscription from the Sinai states that Wepwawet "opens the way" to king Sekhemkhet's victory. Wepwawet originally was seen as a wolf deity, thus the Greek name of Lycopolis, meaning city of wolves, and it is likely the case that Wepwawet was originally just a symbol of the pharaoh, seeking to associate with wolf-like attributes, that later became deified as a mascot to accompany the pharaoh. Likewise, Wepwawet was said to accompany the pharaoh on hunts, in which capacity he was titled (one with) sharp arrow more powerful than the gods.

Enlil (nlin), (EN = Lord + LIL = Loft, "Lord of the Open" or "Lord of the Wind") was the name of a chief deity listed and written about in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Canaanite and other Mesopotamian clay and stone tablets. The name is perhaps pronounced and sometimes rendered in translations as Ellil in later Akkadian, Hittite, and Canaanite literature. Enlil was considered to be the god of breath, wind, loft, and breadth.

In Sumerian mythology, Enlil (Bel) is a powerful creator god who is exiled to the underworld for raping Ninlil, a young virgin. Enlil had been the lord of heaven and earth and was ruler of the seas, the winds and all living creatures, but he had been tempted by a beautiful maiden bathing in the enchanted waters of a clear river. The girl's mother, the goddess Nunbarshegunu, had hoped Enlil would see the girl and want her for his bride. But when Enlil beholds the naked beauty, he is overcome with desire and seizes the girl. Ninlil begs him not to molest her, telling him she is a virgin. Enlil ignores her pleas and rapes her on the riverbank, impregnating her with his son.

Upon learning what has happened, the outraged Nunbarshegunu demands that her daughter's honor be avenged. She and the other deities force Enlil into the underworld as punishment for his cruelty. In some legends, Ninlil joins him in the abyss and gives birth to his child, Sin, god of the moon.

Enlil is the master of heaven and creator of all living things according to Akkadian/Sumerian mythology. Ancient legend tells that Enlil, god of wind and storms, and fellow deity An, lord of the sky, routinely met to decide the fate of human beings. Over time, Enlil began absorbing An's importance and eventually became supreme. he then had exclusive power over fate in this world and the next.

Some legends claim that Enlil once lived in paradise but decided he would prefer life in the material world. He descended to the earth and took up residence with his creatures. This blissful existence ceased, however, when the god became infatuated with a young girl named Ninlil whom he saw bathing in a stream. Overcome by her beauty and by his lust, Enlil raped the girl. The other gods, hearing of his vile deed, forced Enlil into the underworld and forbade him from ever returning to heaven or earth. (In some versions, Ninlil joins him there after discovering that she is soon to bear his child.)

The ancient Sumerians feared Enlil's ability to bring devastating storms and held frequent rituals to appease the god and beg for his divine protection. At his temple in the city of Nippur, worshipers chanted their belief that his domain of heaven was integrally connected to the land of the living. One pray states: "Without lord Enlil, the great mountain, no cities would be raised....no high priest born....The birds of Heaven would not nest on the wide earth."

After the Babylonian conquest, both An and Enlil were supplanted by MARDUK, the chief of the Babylonian pantheon. Enlil is also mentioned as the afterlife guardian in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient poem about the exploits of a great cultural hero.

ZIVA (pronounced ZHEE-va) is the Slavic Goddess of longevity. She was said to have a temple on Mount Zywiec, and people would go to the temple to pray for good health and long life. Some traditions have it that she turned herself into a cuckoo bird. Ziva's name, which means "life," is also seen as ZYWIE, ZHYWIE, ZHYWA, ZYWA, ZHIVA, ZIVENA, SIVA, SIWA, SIVVE, SHIWA, SIEBA, SYEBA, SIBA, and DSIVA.

In Aztec mythology, Tonacatecuhtli ("the being at the center") was a fertility god. He organized the world into land and ocean at the creation of the world. Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl were the creators of the life, but he created them and the planet. He turned Chantico into a dog for violating a fast and eating paprika with roasted fish. His wife was Tonacacihuatl. Tonacatecuhtli, Lord of Our Sustenance, is a primordial creator god, a god of fertility and beginnings. Tonacatecuhtli is the being at the "center" of existence, a place around which everything revolves but where everything is still and at rest.

With his wife, Tonacacihuatl, he resides in the uppermost heaven, Omeyocan, "Place of Duality". Tonacatecuhtli is sometimes associated with Ometeotl (Lord of Duality). In the tonalpohualli, Tonacatecuhtli rules over day Cipactli (crocodile).

SOPDET is the Egyptian Goddess of Sirius, the Dog Star. She was also a Goddess of fertility, because the appearance of Sirius in the sky at dawn marked the beginning of the annual Nile floods, and therefore the beginning of the agricultural year. Sopdet was said to be the wife of Sahu, God of the constellation we know as Orion, and mother of Sopdu, God of the planet Venus. As the Orion constellation and its God became associated with the God Osiris, Sopdet, as his wife, became associated with Osiris's wife, Isis. She is usually depicted as a woman wearing a tall crown with upswept horns at the sides and a five-pointed star on top. In later years, especially after her identification with Isis, she was often shown riding on a large dog. Sopdet's name, which means "she who is skilled," is also seen as SEPDET and SOTHIS (the Greek version of her name), and the epithets BRINGER OF THE NEW YEAR and BRINGER OF THE NILE FLOOD were associated with her.

SITA IS THE HINDU GODDESS OF VIRTUE. SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF THE EARTH AND THE PERSONIFICATION OF WOMANLY IDEALS IN HINDU SOCIETY. WHEN KIDNAPPED AND HELD PRISONER, SHE NOT ONLY REFUSED THE ADVANCES OF HER WEALTHY CAPTURES, BUT ALSO MAINTAINED HER CHASTITITY OF SPIRIT AS WELL. SHE CONTROLS THE ELEMENT OF IRE...AN ABILITY GAINED BY HER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A TRIAL BY FIRE. SITA RULES WISDOM AND EMBODIES DIVINE PATIENCE.

SHE IS THE CONSORT OF LORD RAMA, THE SEVENTH AVATAR (INCARNATION) OF LORD VISHNU. SITA IS THE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR GODDESSES OF HINDU RELIGION. SHE IS CONSIDERED AS THE IDEAL DAUGHTER, IDEAL WIFE, AND IDEAL MOTHER, WITH ALL OF HER VIRTUES AND ATTRIBUTES. DEVI SITA SYMBOLIZES ALL THAT IS NOBLE IN WOMANHOOD. SITA STRONGLY EMPHASIZES THE FEMININE POWER WHICH WAS PRETTY EVIDENT THROUGH HER EVERY ACTION, REACTION IN HER LONG AND ARDUOUS LIFE. SHE IS SEEN AS A SYMBOL OF POWER BY EVERY FEMALE.

THE MATRES are Celtic Goddesses of motherhood and fertility. They are usually depicted in groups of three, since the number three is a particularly favorable magical number. They are shown with one breast bare--as mothers to their followers, it was their duty to feed their worshippers. Often, they hold other symbols of nourishment, such as fruit, a cornucopia, or a loaf of bread. In some depictions, they hold babies, and were associated with fertility rites.

"CERRIDWEN" IS THE ONE OF THE OLD CELTIC GODDESSES WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE "'OLD WITCH'" STEREOTYPE. SHE COMES AT "SAMHAIN" WHEN THE VEIL IS THIN. SHE IS THE GODDESS OF TRANSFORMATION, DEATH, MAGIC, REGENERATION, THE WELSH GODDESS OF THE SACRED CAULDRON OF INSPIRATION, "AWEN", A POWERFUL SYMBOL OF TRANSFORMING MAGIC FOR IT IS SAID TO CONTAIN ALL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD. SHE IS THE GUARDIAN OF SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION. SHE IS ALSO NAMED "WHITE LADY OF INSPIRATION AND DEATH", A SHAPESHIFTER WHO CAN TAKE ON ANIMAL FORMS AS QUICK AS A BLINK, AND SHE CAN BE RUTHLESS. "CERRIDWEN" IS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE "SAMHAIN" OR "HALLOWEEN" WITCH STIRRING A CAULDRON COMES FROM, AND ALTHOUGH SHE CAN BE VERY FRIGHTENING, HER CAULDRON IS A SOURCE OF WISDOM, INSPIRATION, AND CREATIVITY.

"CERRIDWEN" LIVED ON AN ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF LAKE TEGID WHERE SHE GAVE BIRTH TO TWO CHILDREN...A BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER AND A VERY UGLY SON. SHE BREWED A MAGICAL SPELL IN HER CAULDRON TO MAKE HER SON VERY SMART; THE BREW WAS KNOWN AS "GREAL" AND IT SITS FOR A YEAR AND A DAY, AND WHEN SHE HAD TO GO OUT, SHE LEFT IT IN THE CARE OF A YOUNG MORTAL CALLED "GWION."..LEAVING HIM STRICT INSTRUCTIONS NOT TO TOUCH ITS CONTENTS. BUT, BOYS WILL BE BOYS, AND HE ENDS UP INGESTING THREE DROPS OF THE POTION, THUS TAKING ITS MAGIC INTO HIMSELF. IMMEDIATELY HE WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING AROUND HIM...THE PAST, THE FUTURE AND THE DANGERS THAT WERE ABOUT TO BEFALL HIM WHEN "CERRIDWEN" RETURNS.

HE IMMEDIATELY FLEES. "CERRIDWEN," FLYING INTO A RAGE, CHASES AFTER HIM, AND HE QUICKLY USES HIS NEW POWERS TO CHANGE HIMSELF INTO A HARE.. "CERRIDWEN" TOOK THE FORM OF A GREYHOUND AND FOLLOWED IN SWIFT PURSUIT. BUT JUST AS SHE WAS ABOUT TO CATCH HIM, HE CHANGED INTO A FISH AND SLIPPED INTO A RIVER. "CERRIDWEN" QUICKLY BECAME AN OTTER AND CONTINUED AFTER "GWION". ABOUT TO BE CAUGHT AGAIN, HE ONCE MORE CHANGED HIS FORM, THIS TIME INTO A BIRD AND FLEW OFF INTO THE SKY, ONLY DISCOVERING THE "CERRIDWEN" WAS CLOSE BEHIND, HAVING TAKEN THE SHAPE OF A HAWK. FEARING FOR HIS LIFE, "GWION" NOTICED A PILE OF WHEAT ON THE LAND BELOW AND CHANGING HIMSELF INTO THE TINIEST OF GRAINS, DROPPED INTO THE PILE. "CERRIDWEN'S" SHARP EYES SAW WHAT HE HAD DONE AND TAKING THE FORM OF A BLACK CRESTED HEN, SHE PECKED AT THE GRAIN UNTIL SHE FOUND AND ATE THE SEED THAT HAD BEEN "GWION."

BUT THE TINY SEED TOOK ROOT WITHIN HER WOMB AND BEGAN TO GROW. FOR NINE MONTHS, "CERRIDWEN "PROCLAIMED THAT ON THE DAY THAT "GWION" WOULD BE REBORN SHE WOULD DESTROY HIM, BUT WHEN THAT DAY ARRIVED SHE RELENTED. SHE PLACED HIM IN A LEATHER SACK AND THREW HIM INTO THE RAGING WATERS OF THE RIVER, THIS JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE THE FIRST OF MAY.THE CHILD, OF COURSE, BECOMES KNOWN AS "TALIESAN," THE GREATEST BARD IN CELTIC MYTH.

Rudianos was a war god worshiped in Gaul. In Roman times he was equated with Mars. He was invoked at Saint-And'eol-en-Quint and Rochefort-Samson, and at Saint-Michel-de-Valbonne. The name "Rudianos" means red, reflecting the warlike nature of the god. At Saint-Michel-de-Valbonne there was also found a prehistoric image of a mounted war-god, dating to the 6th Century BC, who could perhaps be Rudianos himself. The menhir-shaped stone depicts a roughly incised figure of a horseman, who an enormous head, riding down five severed heads. The iconography is evocative of the head-hunting exploits of the Celts, who hung the heads of their battle victims from their saddles, according to classical writers.

The YOMOTSU-SHIKOME are Japanese demons of the underworld (Yomi). When the God Izanagi ran away from his wife, the Goddess Izanami, in the underworld, she sent the Yomotsu-shikome to chase him. Izanagi managed to escape them, first by throwing down his headdress which turned into grapes that the Yomotsu-shikome stopped to eat. When they returned to their pursuit, Izanagi threw down a comb which turned into bamboo shoots, and the Yomotsu-shikome again stopped to eat. They were catching up to Izanagi a third time when he urinated against a tree and created a river that stopped them from following. The Yomotsu-shikome, whose name means "ugly women of Yomi," are also known as YOMOTSU-HISAME, meaning "hags of Yomi."